The Second Shewolf
by Skye Evans
Summary: Catie always thought she was normal. She grew up on the rez with her family and friends, spending weekends on the beach, and was an average student at the local high school. So what's with all this phasing stuff? T- just in case.
1. Chapter 1

Growing up I always knew the legends. They were hard to ignore, being as they were repeated at every bonfire, barbeque, and party. But, just like most of the other kids, I didn't think they were actually _true. _I didn't think they applied to me in any way.

At least, that's what I thought until the first time I phased.

* * *

It all started the day I turned fifteen. My brother Collin and I were heading down to the La Push beach. It was November 14, and the weather was incredibly cold. I bundled up, four layers total, and climbed into Collin's truck. Collin was a year older than me, and although we were close, he was always so quiet and closed off from me. I chattered on about nothing, and he sat there stoically, nodding only when absolutely necessary. That was part of what everyone loved about my brother though. He was a great listener.

We pulled into a parking spot and noted that a bunch of our friends were already there.

"Catie!" my friends Summer and Maryse screamed, and both grabbed me in an all encompassing hug. "Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks, guys," I smiled as Summer ran off to be with her boyfriend, Brady ,and Maryse went to say hello to Collin.

Seth Clearwater held out his fist to me, and I hit it with mine. "Happy Birthday, C."

I grinned at him and went to hug the others: Jacob and Renesmee, Embry, Quil, Jared and Kim, Brady.

"Come on," Summer grabbed my hand and pulled me down the rocks to the shore. Jacob had already started to build a bonfire, and we sat around it, trying to warm our freezing hands. I sat in between Collin and Summer, perfectly content. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, and we each got a cup of hot chocolate. I felt perfectly fine until they started to sing "Happy Birthday" to me.

"Happy Birthday to you," my friends sang, Seth, Summer, and Brady purposefully off-key. I suddenly felt very hot.

"Happy Birthday to you-." My head was starting to hurt, and I was sweating like crazy. What was wrong with me?

"Happy Birthday, dear Catie!" everything was spinning… I felt awful.

"Happy Birthday to you!" I had to get out of there. "And many more…." Seth and Summer were singing all those silly added parts of the song that we had loved when we were younger. But I couldn't stay and laugh. I felt like my insides were beginning to eat my outsides. Oh my God, this was awful.

"Catie." Collin touched my shoulder. "Are you okay?"

I shook my head slowly, words refusing to form in my thoughts or in my mouth. He helped me stand while the others looked on concerned.

"Summer, Maryse, come help me," Collin asked them, and Summer came to support my right side. Maryse walked back of me, and Collin stood on my left. They got me to the truck, and I felt incredibly faint.

"What's the matter?" Summer asked Collin, who shrugged his shoulders. "Catie, Cay, can you tell me what's the matter?" Collin looked incredibly worried.

I breathed out slowly. "I just feel really sick. Like faint. It almost feels like my insides are eating my outsides, like I'm turning inside out or something…" I explained, feeling another wave of nausea roll over me, and a knowing look crossed my brother's face.

"Do you feel like you're gonna throw up?" Summer asked, and I shook my head. The understanding expression on Collin's face only intensified as I said this.

"I think, girls, that I need to Catie home. Soon," he told them. Summer and Maryse hugged me quickly. "Feel better, Catie, okay?" Maryse told me, and my two best friends hurried back to the beach.

Collin drove me home furiously fast and carried me inside.

"Collin, what's going on? Is Catie okay?" I could hear our mother ask him, but I felt too sick to answer as my brother carried me down the hall and into my bedroom.

"I think- God, this shouldn't be happening- but Mom, I think Catie's phasing." Collin lay me down in my bed, and all the colors of my room swirled together.

Phasing? What the hell?

"No, Collin, no, not Catie," my mother argued, and I could feel her cool hand on my forehead. "Geez, Cay, you're burning up!"

"See, Mom? That's what I mean. She's incredibly hot to touch, she said it feels like her insides are eating her outsides. It's just like when I first phased. It came on suddenly, too."

"What are you talking about? Phasing?" I asked my brother through watery eyes. God, it really was hot in here.

"Catie," he whispered and then, hesitated as if not sure how to tell me what he needed to say. "Cay, I think you're becoming a werewolf."

* * *

**Author's note: Okay, so I know what you're thinking. _Really, Skye_, _another Twilight fanfic? Why don't you just finish the millions of others that you've begun?_ Ha, well.... I got a bunch of new ideas and can't really seem to get back to the old ones. So, anyways, hope you enjoyed this (let me know what you think), and Chapter 2 will (hopefully) be up soon (I think). :) **


	2. Chapter 2

"A werewolf?! You have to be freaking kidding me, Collin." No. No way in hell was I turning into a werewolf. Where did he get that crap from anyways?

"It's not all that bad. I promise," Collin said, smoothing back my hair from my sweaty forehead.

"What? Are you a werewolf, too?" I questioned him, and he nodded, his eyes sad.

"Oh sweetheart," my mom muttered, clutching me to her. "You're just sick. You aren't a werewolf."

"Mom, be realistic here. You can feel how hot she is. It's like holding fire in your arms. And it explains her sudden growth spurt and crazy mood swings," Collin stared at my mom, who just kept shaking her head. "Mom, honestly. How many girls do you know that have gone from being 5 foot 2 to 5'9" in a matter of two weeks? None. We all thought it was odd, but didn't really consider this an option… But it looks like Catie is another shewolf."

My mind was racing with questions, a huge puddle of anxiety and confusion. But before I was able to voice these questions, I started to shake. At first, it was only slight tremors, barely making me move. But the tremors became worse and worse, my body shaking violently and uncontrollably.

"Mom, we have to get her out of her," Collin gasped, scooping me into his arms and bolting for the back door. Once outside, he put me carefully on the grass and turned away. The shakes become overwhelming, and I was scared for my life. It was strange too, because I felt like my body was expanding. My very cells felt like they were mutating, becoming something else entirely. I screamed out in pain, before completely morphing out of my real self and into the body of a beast.

My favorite outfit that I had been wearing ripped to shreds, my body became covered in shaggy white fur.

Voices sounded through my head- voices that didn't belong to me.

_Collin, is Catie okay? _One voiced asked.

Another- which sounded an awful lot like Brady- made a stupid wise crack I couldn't understand.

And then there were some voice that were laughing, some that were fighting.

_Stop it!, _I yelled in my mind, and it suddenly became quiet.

_Catie…? _The Brady voice spoke up first. _You aren't… You're one of us?_

I didn't say anything. I didn't know what to say. All I felt was immense confusion, and I just wanted to break down in tears.

My mother stood by our back door, tears glistening in her green eyes, her hand in front of her mouth. She just stared at me.

Collin turned his back to me and slowly began to undress. What was he doing?

And then, he began to shake too. Not nearly as bad as I had, but it was still noticeable. Fur erupted from his tan skin, and then he was a large brown wolf.

_Catie, _his voice whispered in my head. _It's okay. It'll all be okay._

The first voice that I had heard was back. _Collin, is Catie one of us? What's going on?_

The wolf-Collin in front of me looked at me sadly. _Yes, Sam. I'm afraid that Catie is another shewolf, just like Leah. _

**Author's note: Another chapter! Yippee! (It's short, I know. Sorry!) Thanks for all the reviews to the last chapter :) I have some ideas for this story, but none of them are really concrete. Also, if you have any ideas for what should happen or any specific requests, I'm open to any suggestions. Really. Review?**


	3. Chapter 3

Changing back into my human self wasn't quite so bad as one might have thought. Actually, it reminded me of something in a fairytale: all you had to do was picture your human self- really remember what it was like to look and be that form- and pop! you were back to normal.

Slightly embarrassed, I hid behind the shed while my mother ran to get some clothes for me. I wasn't really all _that _modest, but I wasn't one to prance around in the nude either, especially not where my brother and/or neighbors could glimpse me. My mother returned with some clothes, tears still running down her beautiful face, and handed them to me roughly. She then went back out to talk to Collin.

I was glad my mom had thought to bring me an old t-shirt and jeans that were ripped and had paint splatters on them instead of something nice. I really didn't want to lose another of my favorite outfits to the monster I could become at any moment.

When I went back into the central part of our yard, my mother gave me a tight, all-encompassing hug. I couldn't remember the last time my mother had hugged me so hard. It was probably two years before, when my father left us, leaving my mother to tell me the new through her tears. My dad's leaving had really broken my mom up; she hadn't been the same since. And now, I could feel that my new "changes" were breaking her fragile heart again. I didn't know what to do.

"Mom?" Collin whispered, tapping our mother on the shoulder, breaking up our hug. "Maybe we should go inside; we have a lot of explaining to do for Catie."

My mother nodded weakly before following my brother through the sliding glass doors and into our kitchen. I followed slowly behind, scared that at any second, I'd suddenly change again.

As I walked through the house, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror. I still looked mostly the same: tan skin, bright green eyes, black bangs pulled to the right side of my face with the rest of my hair down. My hair was a wild, tangled mess; I had no clue how I could ever get the knots out. But besides that, I looked like I had only yesterday when I was still 14… and still fully human.

"Catie?" my mother called softly, and I hurried to the living room, where my mother and Collin sat on the couch, waiting.

I sat down in the worn leather armchair- my dad's old armchair- across from the couch. I looked at them expectantly, not knowing what to say. It appeared they were at a loss for words as well.

After a few moments of awkward silence, words spilled fast from my mouth. "You guys both have some serious explaining to do." When neither made any move to explain themselves, my temper rose. "Honestly, Mom, Collin. What the hell happened out there?!"

"Catie, watch your language," was all my mom could seem to muster.

"Mom, I just turned into an effing wolf! You really expect me to watch my language?!" I laughed, hysteria overtaking me. I think the truth was setting in then, that this wasn't just a nightmare. That I really had just turned horse-sized wolf.

My mother gave me a stern look, and Collin put his hand on her shoulder, calming her down. I crossed my arms like a stubborn child. "Alright, Catie. You've heard the legends, haven't you?"

"The Quileute ones? About being descendent of wolves?" I asked, softly laughing. "Of course I have, Collin. They're kind of hard to avoid, growing up on the reservation and all. But everyone knows they aren't true."

Collin shook his head, somewhat patronizingly. "But Catie, they are true. Or at least, they have some foundation in truth. Our people- our tribe-, there are some of us that become wolves when our enemy is living nearby." He went on to explain the noble history of our ancestors- stories I'd heard millions of times that, until now, had only been just that: stories.

"Right now, the packs are bigger than ever. And we're split in two. Jacob's pack and Sam's pack. You and I are part of Sam's pack. We can change allegiance if we choose, but once you change your loyalty, there is no going back. Embry, Quil, Brady, Jacob, Paul, Jared, they're all wolves."

"Are there any other girl wolves? Please don't tell me I'm the only one," I asked him, nervous. Was I fated to be a wolf, and the only girl wolf at that?

"No, Leah Clearwater is also a shape-shifter. If you ever need to talk to her, I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

Leah Clearwater? I wrinkled my nose. She was always so _grumpy._ God, I hoped I didn't turn into that because of this whole shape-shifting thing. "Is there anything I else I need to know about? How often will I change? What makes me change? Why me?"

"Well, we don't know why we're chosen, Catie. It's pretty random, especially with the girls. Why Leah and not Emily? Why you and not Summer? We don't really know, Cay. I wish you weren't one of us. It isn't going to be easy for you, at all," Collin told me sadly. "But, you'll have me and Mom, and Leah, and the guys behind you. And we'll have to talk to Sam about whether or not to tell your friends. But even if you do act weird around them, I'm sure they'll still be your friends.

"Oh, two more things. First, I'm sure you've heard all about the vampire legends?"

"Well, yeah. They're our "sworn enemy" or whatever," I said, using air quotes like I had in middle school.

Collin nodded seriously. "They are our natural enemy. But we've also become friends with them as well. You know the Cullens?"

Everyone knew the Cullens. Jacob was always babysitting that adorable, but bratty little Nessie, and I'd met Dr. Cullen on several occasions.

They were so beautiful, but strange people. What Collin was saying suddenly dawned on me. "They're vampires, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are. We've formed a careful alliance with them, but Sam is still wary. He worries- even though he has little reason to- that they'll break our friendship, that they'll kill one of our own. But not to worry. Jacob ensures that won't happen."

"How does Jacob ensure that?"

"He imprinted on Nessie. Imprinting is the second thing I needed to tell you about. After you phase for the first time, it's a possibility for you," Collin sighed. He had never been a talker- no, that had always been my job- so I could tell all this explaining had taken a toll on him. My mother sat stoically beside him, not a word leaving her lips. "Anyways, imprinting is the finding of your soulmate. When Nessie grows up, she and Jacob will be together. Sam imprinted on Emily, Jared on Kim, Quil on Claire. You get the picture. The wolf will do whatever it his- or her- imprint needs. Quil is only Claire's babysitter now, but once she grows up, they'll probably be like Sam and Emily- engaged, married, whatever. But they're soulmates. Quil can't ever love anyone in a romantic way besides Claire, but right now, he only loves her as if she were his little sister. Understand?" Collin was getting anxious, I could tell, so I nodded and told him I understood exactly. Even though I didn't. He had a really odd and confused way of explaining things.

"So, Catie, are you ready to meet the pack?" he asked me, and my eyes widened with anxiety. "Oh, come on, Catie, you've known these guys since you were a little kid. They aren't any different know than they were earlier, at the beach."

"I know that," I muttered. "But I'm different." Collin caught my arm as I went to stand up. He stood up beside me and looked me right in the eyes.

"Yeah, you're different. But it's just a part of who you are now, you have to except it. Plus, they'll probably be really excited to see you in your wolf form."

I blushed. "Collin, I know this is kind of a weird, awkward question, but will I have to undress in front of you guys? Or will you guys undress in front of me? I would not be at all comfortable with that."

Collin released his firm grip on my arm, and his expression softened. "Catie, we'll give you your privacy, I promise." And that's when Collin did something he hadn't done in years. He pulled me to him and gave me a hug, and kissed the top of my head. "It'll be okay, little sis. I promise."

**Author's note: Another chapter. What do you think? I'm not so sure about what I think of it, but I got all the necessary things out of the way, so now the fun can start :) I'm not sure when I'll post the next chapter because I have exams next week, meaning the rest of this weekend and then next week will be completely dedicated to that. But hang in there, I promise it'll be more than worth it!**


	4. Chapter 4

Collin and I got into his car and drove over to the beach again. It was kind of crazy (well, really crazy) that only this morning, a few mere hours ago, we were on this same road, heading toward the same place, to meet the same people (more or less), under completely different circumstances. As cliché as it may have sounded, I was amazed at how much could change in so little time.

Not really in the mood for talking, I flipped on the CD player and turned it way up. My brother had odd taste in music. You never really knew what kind of music you were gonna get with him. It could be some really obscure indie rock band or Beyonce or a musical soundtrack, or tribal music. You just never knew. The song playing now was "Watch the Sky" by Something Corporate, one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands. I tilted my head back on the headrest, closing my eyes and letting the music wash over me, clearing my too-cluttered mind.

We made it to the beach far too quickly. As Collin pulled into the parking lot and parked, my heart sped up, and my hands got sweatier than they had been the first time a boy had told me he wanted to hold my hand. Collin put his arm around my shoulders and held me close to him as we walked down the beach to where the – I refused to think _pack_- boys awaited us. I shivered, but not from the cold. I still felt excruciatingly hot, despite the freezing temperature.

Around the campfire sat the boys- my childhood friends (and enemies, I inwardly chuckled, when I saw Paul). They were laughing at something Jared had said, and even though I was nervous, I smiled. It was so perfectly normal to see them all sitting there. I could almost forget the freakish reason for this little meeting.

"Hey, little sister," Brady grinned, loping over to where Collin and I were. I gave him a quick hug, and he grabbed my chin affectionately. "Don't be so nervous," he teased. "We won't bite."

I half-smiled at him. "Oh, I know that. Believe me, I'm not scared of what you'll do to me," I paused for effect. "I'm scared for what'll happen to _you _if faced with _my_ wrath," I joked, grinning devilishly.

The boys roared in laughter at my remark. I could feel my normal joking-self returning, a bit. After all, I thought, these _were_ my friends. Why was I so freaked out about being here? They weren't any different than they had been a few hours ago. Sure, I knew now that they morphed into giant hairy canines, but now so did I. What was the big deal?

Sam, the "alpha", sat in the obvious head spot of the campfire circle. "Come sit, Catie," he said, a small smile in his eyes. "We have lots to talk about."

Sam had always been very reserved, but he had always also seemed to think himself superior to the rest of us. Granted, he was much older than Collin and I, but even so, I didn't like the way he liked to act as though he was better than us. He was so stern, too, far beyond what he should've been at twenty-three years old. He used to scold us sometimes, especially during the summers when he lifeguarded. He would strut around the neighborhood pool as if he owned the place, and we would make fun of him behind his back. Naturally, he would hear our snickering and make us sweep or do some sort of chore that _he _was supposed to do. There was always lot of bickering on my part, but Sam would always get the last say, which made me go home and rant about him until I couldn't breathe.

Luckily, we'd all grown up a lot since then.

Collin pushed me forward, and I sat between him and Brady, directly across from Sam. Sam looked at me directly, which made me want to squirm, but I held still and kept eye contact. "So, you're one of us now."

"Yeah," I said. Thank you, Captain Obvious…

"Well, I guess we should start at the beginning."

Brady nudged me with his elbow, and I turned to see him roll his eyes. I had to stifle the giggle rising up in me. "Um yeah, Sam, can we just get on with this?"

"Of course. Well, I'm sure Collin explained some things to you, did he not?"

"Yes, Sam, he told me of our beginnings with the spirit warriors and all of that. I understand, mostly. Can you tell me one thing, though?" Sam nodded, and I asked the question that most bothered me. "Why me? Why are there only two known "she" wolves? Is there something wrong with us?"

Sam took a deep breath. "No, I don't think something is wrong with you. We don't have a real reason, honestly. One thing we think is that maybe you are just the strongest females that our tribe has, both physically and emotionally, even though _you _aren't full Quileute. The packs need females to balance us out, keep us steady. I guess that's why Leah phased and then, now that our packs our split, you phased."

I nodded slowly, taking it all in. What Sam said made sense. The packs might get overly violent if not for a woman to keep them stable and calm. But even so, couldn't some other girl do the job just as well as me? I thought about voicing this question of mine, but decided against it. I knew there wasn't an answer. I knew that even if there were, it wouldn't change my fate. Why not just accept it?

"I'm sure Collin already told you about the Cullens?" Sam asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"Sort of. They're vampires. I guess I should've known; they're too pale and beautiful and perfect to be anything else, right?" The boys laughed softly in agreement, and Sam nodded, a condescending smile on his face.

"Yes, they are far too perfect to be human, aren't they? Many years ago, when our great-grandfathers were shape-shifters, the Cullens came to town. Our great-grandfathers were fearful of them, because they knew what they were. They were the Cold Ones- the Pale Faces. They sucked the blood of humans, feeding on lives. This worried the shape-shifters who protected the community. They didn't want to put their people in danger." At this point in Sam's monologue, Brady faux-yawned, long and loud. I wanted to laugh, but didn't, for fear of angering Sam. Instead, I cut in.

"Right. So they made the treaty, banning them from our land. I know the story," I smiled.

"I'm sure you do," Sam smiled back. "Still, the treaty exists, though we often find ourselves on a fault line with it. One quake on their part- or on ours- will bring it all tumbling down. Luckily, our alliance is stronger now, because of Jacob's imprinting on Renesmee and Seth's close friendship with them," Sam nodded towards Seth, who grinned shamelessly.

"But this alliance- it only exists with the Cullens, doesn't it?" I asked.

"Correct, other vampires aren't bound by the contract. But I think our defenses are well enough that we could take down any 'non-vegetarian' vampires if needed," he grinned, and the rest of the pack mimicked him.

"Non-vegetarian vampires?" I asked, incredibly puzzled.

Seth spoke up before Sam, "The Cullens have a different diet than most vampires. They prefer to exist on solely animal blood, in order to protect human lives. They like to refer to themselves as 'vegetarian' vampires, which would mean normal vamps- the ones that drink human blood- are 'non-vegetarians'."

"Ah, I gotcha. So… is there anything else I need to know?"

"Well," Jared said, an easy grin spreading on his face, "you should probably hear something about patrols."

The rest of the pack smirked in agreement, obviously enjoying some inside joke I wasn't privy too. "Patrols?"

"Patrols," Brady sighed, turning towards me. He still wore an impish grin on his handsome face. "Patrols are what keep you up at night, all alone in the woods. Patrols are what we each dread, day after day. The true bane of our existence." Collin and Seth laughed loudly at this. Still not quite understanding, I raised my right eyebrow. "Yes, my dear, you should be afraid. Very afraid."

"Enough of the dramatics, Brady. Will you just spit it out already?"

"Fine, but you asked for it. Each of us is scheduled to patrol the borders of the rez, you know, make sure no vamps come in and massacre the people of the town while they sleep," he laughed. "Basically, all you do is stay up all night, one wolf for every few miles in order to protect the town. It gets incredibly boring, not to mention you're completely beat the next day." Sam looked at him sternly, and Brady added, faking seriousness in order to appease the alpha, "But it is completely necessary. There won't be any slacking on the job."

We all laughed, even Sam, because Brady's impersonation of our alpha was dead-on.

"So I guess I need to be scheduled for patrol?" I fake-gulped, just to tease the boys.

"Yes, you can 'intern' with Brady on Saturday nights. Is that alright with you?"

"Sure, that's fine," I told Sam, and Brady gave me a high-five.

"I guess we're almost done here?" Sam asked then, looking around at each pack member.

"Almost," Brady grinned.

Paul and Jared shared a mischievous glance, and Seth laughed. "We still have to do a formal induction."

"An induction?" I said nervously.

"Oh yes, Little Sister, an induction," Seth grinned. They then proceeded to turn away from me, strip off all their clothes (which was… awkward), and phase into their wolf forms. "I suppose you expect me to do the same?" I asked anxiously, already knowing the answer.

I swear, the Seth-wolf and the Brady-wolf laughed- well, more barked- at my silly question. "Alright, alright," I told them, before skipping off to hide behind a large boulder. I could hear more laugh-barking at my expense, as I took off my clothes and phased. Phasing was easier the second time, I didn't feel quite so out-of-control. It almost felt …. natural.

Weird.

When I was in my wolf form, the laughter inside my head was overwhelming. I could hear all their voices, all at once._ Could you guys tone it down a bit?_

_Sure, sure, anything for you, Little Sister, _sent the Brady voice. The laughter lowered, but it was still considerably obnoxious.

_It does take awhile to get used to, _the Sam voice said sympathetically. I guess he wasn't so bad after all. He was at least trying to make me feel better.

_So, is this all there is to the induction? Phasing and hearing everyone's thoughts? _ I honestly hoped that was it. But I should've known better.

There was another round of laughter- once again, at my expense- before Collin spoke up. _Sorry, Cay, _I saw his wolf-form grin in that weird lupine way. _There is still one thing you have to do._

They all laughed, and all I could think was, _This is gonna be bad._

* * *

But 'the induction' wasn't bad. In fact, it was incredibly exhilarating. We all marched up a cliff, way to the tippy top, where each wolfboy proceeded to jump off.

This didn't really scare me. I'd been cliff-diving a million and one times before. But I had always been human when I'd cliff-dived before. Now, I was a rather large wolf, not at all accustomed to my size or strength. I should've been terrified.

But I wasn't.

Collin and Brady waited for me to be ready, and then, we all jumped together. I felt invincible as we fell and when we collided with the cold water, a huge rush of adrenaline hit me fast. I could hear the laughter of the boys in my head as I ran off the effects of the fall. The feelings rushing through me were incredible. I felt like I was on top of the world.

_Amazing, huh? _Brady sent, coming and brushing against my shoulder. I nodded my wolf-head, which wasn't feeling quite so heavy or weird anymore. I was getting used to the whole wolf-thing, which was definitely a good thing, because I had a long time of it ahead of me.

**Author's note: So this- at first- was a long burdening chapter to write (which is why it took me awhile to finish), but once, I got started, it was really fun. And I got most of the important, boring stuff out of the way. The rest of the fic is going to be so much fun to write ( I outlined today, and I'm more excited about this fic than I've been about any of my other ones, haha), so I hope you guys enjoy it! In case I don't post again the rest of the week, I'd like to wish all of you a merry Christmas! Hope Santa is good to you :)**


	5. Chapter 5

After the pack meeting, Brady and Collin took me out to dinner in Forks. We went to this quaint little restaurant that I had always loved and always begged to go to for special events. The outside looked like a fairytale cottage straight out of a storybook, and the inside made you feel as if you were actually a character in one. The food was incredibly yummy, too.

It wasn't until they got the staff to bring me a piece of cheesecake and sing "Happy Birthday" to me that I remembered that it was my birthday. With all the crazy stuff that had happened, I had forgotten. November 14th. I was officially fifteen. It had felt like I'd been fifteen for a lot longer. And now, after today, I felt even older.

But as I ordered my usual chicken fingers and Dr. Pepper, I tried not to think about the wolf-thing. I just wanted to enjoy myself with my brother and our best friend.

"Whatcha thinking about, Catie? You look like you're about pass out from concentrating so hard," Collin remarked, bringing me back to reality.

"Actually, I was trying not to think. It takes more concentration than you might think."

Brady laughed. "Don't hurt yourself. Trying not to think sounds more painful than it's worth," he winked at me, which sent a shiver up my spine. Odd.

"Here you go." The waitress placed my food and drink in front of me. "Thanks," I smiled at her.

Our waitress was a pretty girl, probably 18 or so, with long dark hair and very blue eyes. I knew Collin and Brady would comment on her "hotness" once she walked away.

"Wow," Collin said, sipping his coke, watching the waitress as she glided toward the kitchen and away from our table.

"Wow? Really, Collin? All you can say is wow?" Brady said, incredulous. "That girl was more than wow. She was _fine."_

I rolled my eyes. I'd been around the two of them enough to know this was how it went. No matter if one of them had a girlfriend, they would comment on the waitress' good looks and flirt with her. Meanwhile, I'd just sit there, rolling my eyes and sending apologetic vibes to the girl, sorry for her that she had to put up with their idiotic ramblings.

But this time was different. When Brady said she was fine, I wished he was talking about me. Which was beyond weird, because I'd never once in my life felt attracted to Brady. He was my brother's best friend, for crying out loud! And not to mention Summer's boyfriend (though that didn't mean anything; Summer tore through boys faster than a little kid tears through wrapping paper on Christmas morning). I was probably just feeling protective, I rationalized. Summer deserved better than a boyfriend that would flirt behind her back with the first hot waitress that came along. That had to be why I felt angry when he said that.

I ate my dinner quietly, as the boys talked about heaven-knows-what. They didn't notice my silence, for which I was glad, because I really just needed some time to think.

When the waitress came back, Brady decided to really flirt with her. "So, what's your name?"

"Mallory," she smiled innocently. "And yours?"

"I'm Brady. You know, you're gorgeous."

She blushed. "No, I'm really not."

"Oh, but you are," Brady grinned at her. Oh, boy, was he laying it on thick. Collin and I's eyes met, and while he was trying to hide his snickering, I felt enraged. I didn't understand why. But I was incredibly angered by Brady's unashamed flirted. "You know what, Mallory, why don't I take you out tomorrow night? Look, here's my number." Brady grabbed her hand and the pen out of her server apron and wrote down his number on her hand. "Call me, okay?"

She smiled goofily, clearly enamored by Brady's affection. "What about Summer?" I nearly screamed at him. God, what was up with me?

"Oh, she broke up with me this morning. I guess she didn't get a chance to tell you."

This should've made me feel better. But it didn't. Instead, I could feel myself shaking, and it took me a moment to realize what was happening. Holy crap! I was phasing. Right there in the middle of the restaurant.

And to make matters worse, I didn't know how to stop.

"Collin," I called to my brother, my voice shaking. I couldn't move, I could do anything but sit there and shake. Collin looked up at me, and he knew what was happening.

"Oh God," he said, picking me up swiftly and carrying me out of the restaurant. Once outside, he coached me and told me to take deep breaths. Eventually, I calmed myself down, and the tremors stopped. I felt weak, and I leaned against the wall of the cottage-restaurant for support. Collin looked at me and quietly ventured to speak. "Catie, are you okay?"

I nodded, and he took a deep breath. "I really thought you were gonna phase."

"Me too," I whispered, my voice sounding hoarse and frail.

"What made you lose control? I mean, I know it's easy to lose control when you're so new to the whole shape-shifting thing, but normally, something triggers it. What happened?" Collin asked me, genuinely concerned.

Good. He didn't realize that I was angry over Brady's new date. I just shook my head, and he was luckily distracted by Brady, who had just walked out the door.

"Score!" Brady hollered, before turning to me. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Collin answered for me. "She just lost control, but she's okay now. You paid?"

Brady nodded vigorously. "Well, I'm glad you're better." I smiled weakly at him. "Dude, can you believe it? I have a date with Mallory!"

Collin shook his head, a smile on his lips. "Always the lady's man, now, aren't you, Brady?"

Brady grinned. "It's impossible for any lady to resist me."

"I can resist you," I pointed out.

"But you don't really count," he countered, and while my heart sank and my temper flared, I took a deep breath before forcing a grin.

"No, I guess I don't."

Brady and Collin fell into an easy step on either side of me as we walked to Collin's car. They chattered on about Brady's date with Mallory and I stayed silent, fearing that if I opened my mouth something (like the fact that I kinda sorta liked Brady- I guess I didn't resist him as easily as I had once thought, huh?- and was more than jealous of Mallory) would slip out that I would soon regret.

**Author's note: Can you believe it? A second chapter in one night. I'm on a roll :) More coming soon! Let me know what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

"Ready, C?"

"Sure thing, Brady," I grinned at him in the dark before we both went behind our own trees, respectively, to phase.

A week had gone by since my first phasing experience, and Brady and I were heading out for my first patrol. It was dusk- my least favorite time of day- and very cold. I was incredibly thankful for my internal werewolf heater and my new night vision, that's for sure.

Brady, now in wolf-form, howled, my signal to hurry up. Sigh… Brady… Ever since my birthday, I'd kind of been avoiding him. At first, I was scared that I'd imprinted on him, because of how quickly and strongly my feelings for him had come on. But I'd quickly realized that wasn't it. It just had to be a crush. A very powerful, envy-inducing big crush, sure, but just a crush all the same. God knows, my hormones were all out of whack right then anyways; my sudden liking of Brady was probably just a side-effect of that.

In order to hide my thoughts and feeling from the pack (mostly from Brady, though) when in wolf-form, I'd started to think in French. I'd always been gifted with learning different languages, but I especially excelled in _le francais_. I was even vice-president of the La Push High French club, a serious accomplishment as I was only a sophomore. Therefore, all my thoughts were in French, so that the boys couldn't figure out what I was thinking about and so they wouldn't know all my secrets. I knew it frustrated them, but they understood. It was hard to have people poking around in your head all the time.

I quickly stripped down and phased. Phasing had gotten easier for me, and I had better control of myself, but I still didn't like it. All I'd ever wanted was to be normal, but the whole wolf-thing had royally screwed that up for me. Oh well. It wasn't like I could change back to how I was before.

_What took you so long? _Brady asked impatiently as I stepped out from behind my tree.

_I'm not as used to this as you are, remember? _I rolled my eyes at him, and he laughed.

_I'm just teasing you, Little Sister._

_Yeah, sure. _I retorted. _What are we supposed to be doing tonight anyways?_

_Nothing really, _he said, his giant dark-grey wolf form laying down in a bed of leaves. _We can just sit here and wait until we sense something "questionable," which we won't. Nothing exciting ever happens on patrol._

_That's it? _I asked, hoping for something a bit more exciting, and he nodded grimly. _I guess now I know why you guys all think it's the "bane of your existence."_

Brady bark-laughed, _Yeah, it's incredibly boring. Especially when you're out here by yourself. Somehow, most of the others ended up with partners for patrol, but I'm all by myself. Well, _he smiled, _I was all by myself, but now I've got you._

I grinned back (smiling in wolf-form was weird- it was just like you were snarling, but you had to make your eyes soft and not malicious. I always felt awkward when doing it- wolves just shouldn't grin- but Brady somehow made it look cute and effortless). _I'm glad I ended up with you. You're fun to be around. I think it'd be dreadful to end up with Collin or Paul… or Sam…_

_Collin wouldn't be too bad, for me anyways. But I can imagine, for you, being stuck with your brother for that long wouldn't be all that great. Paul is far too belligerent for me. He doesn't know how to have fun without being annoying or biting someone's head off. And Sam… well, Sam's the alpha, and an awfully serious one at that._

_Yeah, exactly. I suppose Jared wouldn't be too bad. But he's a lot older than me, and I don't really know him all that well. _I sighed contentedly. Brady really was a good partner to be stuck with for patrols.

_So how's being a wolf going for you? It was hard for me for awhile, but I had Collin to help me get through it. You're sorta alone in this._

_It hasn't really been bad. I mean, yes, the initial shock of it was awful and I still don't like phasing, but I'm getting used to it. And I'm not really alone. I mean, I have you and Collin, you know? But I do wish I could tell Summer and Maryse. I hate keeping stuff from them, especially stuff as big as you know, being a werewolf._

_I guess you could tell them, _Brady suggested thoughtfully. _But not yet. You should probably be more in check with your anger before you do._

_I am in check with my anger! _I shouted at him and smacked his side with my tail, which only made him laugh.

_Yes, you are _so very _in check with your rage, I can most definitely tell, _he grinned and rolled his big black eyes.

_Oh, just shut up… _I groaned which made him laugh harder.

_Really, though, Cay, don't tell them until you're completely under control and really ready. Or it may end badly. _

_How could end badly? They're my best friends, I'm sure they'll understand… or at least, I'm sure they'll be accepting of my… new condition._

_You know how Sam's wife Emily has those terrible scars? _

_Yeah, everyone knows about that. She got attacked by a bear._

Brady exhaled slowly. _No, she didn't get attacked by a bear. That's just what they told everyone. After Sam imprinted on Emily and they became a couple, Sam told Emily about what he was. She thought he was just kidding and got impatient with him, and Sam took it the wrong way and angrily phased, and in all of his rage, accidently mauled her face. _

I stared at Brady incredulously. I couldn't imagine our clear-headed and stolid alpha ever doing something like that, and to Emily too, who he loved so much! _Oh my God, Brady, that's awful._

He nodded seriously. _Sam lives with that guilt every day. Emily still loves him and has long forgiven him for it, but Sam won't ever forgive himself. None of us would want you to accidently hurt Summer or Maryse like that. And we both know that Summer never takes anything seriously, so it wouldn't be hard for you get enraged like that, _Brady added, making the conversation a bit lighter.

_Ha, yeah, I guess you're right. I'd never be able to live with myself if I hurt Summer or Maryse, _I said in agreement._ Even though God knows Summer would make me make up for my hurting her with some cruel and unusual punishment that would make me wish I'd mauled her more… _I mumbled.

Brady roared at this and I joined in with his laughter, because we both knew how demanding and difficult our best friend Summer could be. My first patrol went smoothly after that, Brady and I bark-laughing so hard about everything that I swear we probably woke half the reservation with our silly teasing and wolfish snickers.

**A/N: So, honestly, I'm not sure what I think of this chapter. If you have any suggestions on how I could better it, let me know :) The next two chapters will be fun to write and fun to read ( or so I hope, ha) because there'll be a real introduction to Summer and Maryse, Catie's best friends. They're really fun characters, so I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I do. Review (pretty please with a cherry on top)?**


	7. Chapter 7

_**From Maryse:**_

_ I'm gonna be about 10 minutes late… Mom and Rachelle got in a fight again… Don't eat all the pizza without me!_

I rolled my eyes at Maryse's text message. It was so typical of her. She was _always _late, for one reason or another. She usually blamed it on her mother and sister, Rachelle, fighting.

"Oo, who texted you?" Summer squealed from across the "clubhouse." When I was about seven, my dad built this huge shed in our backyard, and he was so excited about it because he thought that he would have room to store all of his power tools and he could use it as a workshop for little "odd jobs." But my seven-year-old self was convinced that it was a playhouse for me and my friends, and so, before he could move his tools into it, I asked if Summer, Maryse, and I could have a sleepover in it, just once. Naturally, "just once" turned into millions of sleepovers, and the sign on the front that proclaimed "Tool Shed" had to be painted over. Summer, Maryse, and I christened the shed "SMC Headquarters" (for Summer, Maryse, and Catie; real original, no?) and repainted the sign. Needless to say, my dad never got the toolshed of his dreams, but _we _sure got plenty of use out of it.

"Just Maryse," I told Summer, tossing her my phone. "She's gonna be late." Summer just rolled her eyes as she read the text from our third amiga, before throwing my phone back at me and winking as she grabbed her third slice of pizza.

We were having our Annual Thanksgiving Break Sleepover. It had been tradition for about six years now. We would all gather in the clubhouse and eat too much pizza, drink too much soda, and spill all of our deepest darkest secrets. It's really funny how after so many years of being best friends, you come up with all sorts of traditions and rituals. The Annual Thanksgiving Break Sleepover was only one of many customs we had.

I grabbed a slice of pizza from the box and chowed down. If I had been a hungry girl before, being a wolf only made me a thousand times more so. I ate far more than the average teenager. It was positively ridiculous (luckily, thanks to my wolfy metabolism, I hadn't seemed to gain any weight from all my excessive eating).

"So, you got any juicy secrets for tonight, C?" Summer asked, her mouth full of pizza.

Truthfully, I didn't (unless you count the wolf-thing, which I'd decided against telling them, just yet, as Brady had suggested), but I simply shrugged my shoulders and smiled mischievously." You'll just have to wait and see." Summer was about to open her mouth to say something when Maryse appeared in the clubhouse doorway.

"Well, I'll admit, I have a lot of new secrets that'll make even Summer's skin crawl!" Maryse exclaimed, plopping down her sleeping bag and her overnight bags. Summer and I laughed, and Maryse came to sit beside me.

"Oh, is little miss Maryse finally getting naughty?" Summer smirked.

"Maybe… you'll have to be patient though, S. I'm not saying anything about anything until at least midnight!" Maryse teased and pulled a bottle of bubbly apple juice from her bag. "Anyone want some?" she said, holding it over her head.

"I'll have some," I smiled and handed her my cup. She returned it to me, filled to the brim. "Thanks, Mare. So, what should we do first?"

"I'm fine with just eating," Summer said, reaching for the chips.

"I'd like to watch a movie," Maryse countered, shifting her long black curls behind her.

"Well, we can do both," I told them, crawling over to the TV that I'd begged my dad to install forever ago, at least a year before he left. I pulled out the DVD case and passed it to Maryse who began to call off different movie titles.

"I say we watch _The Proposal,_ ," Summer interjected, examining her chipped fingernail polish. Maryse rolled her eyes. "Again? We watched that last sleepover," Maryse whined. "What about _Pride and Prejudice_?" she asked, holding up the DVD. "Or _Titanic?" _Summer made faces for both of Maryse's choices and grabbed the DVD case.

"How about _27 Dresses?_" Summer suggested, but the suggestion was quickly shot down by Maryse, who claimed that we watched that movie "nearly every time we had a sleepover and the cuteness of it wore off after the third viewing." I had to agree with her on that one.

Maryse and Summer were as different as different could be, in looks and in personality. Summer was tall- not as tall as me, but only about an inch or two shorter. She wasn't fat, but she wasn't really slender either, simply in between. Her hair was naturally sandy-blonde, but she had started dying it when she was twelve to a much lighter faux-shade of blonde. Summer had a tendency to be loud and a little crude, and she said what she wanted to, but people still thought of her as charismatic and liked to be on her good side. There were no boundaries for Summer. She got what she wanted when she wanted, and boys were no exception to this. Maryse, on the other hand, was small- only 5"1'- but curvy. She was the beautiful one of our group of friends, with her wild black curls, almond-shaped gray-green eyes, and charming smile. She had strong features and a soft voice. Maryse was very opinionated and liked to debate and question everything, which made Summer and I laugh and roll our eyes. A lot of people were a bit intimidated upon first meeting her, but that impression was quickly forgotten once they got to know her. She was a true sweetheart, with a love of all things fantasy and romantic.

I think a bunch of people honestly wondered how the three of us were friends at all. Sometimes, I even wondered this, just because of how different the three of us were. But our differences somehow just… worked. We were closer than sisters and knew each other like the backs of our hands. I couldn't have asked for anything more, when it came to my best friends.

"How about _She's The Man_?" I suggested, knowing full well they'd both agree to it. No matter how many times we watched that movie, it never got old. It was one we always agreed on.

"Sure thing," Maryse smiled, and Summer nodded in agreement, just like I knew she would. I put in the DVD, and we laughed and ate the whole duration of the movie.

**Author's note: Maryse, Summer, and Catie are incredibly strong characters for me. When I'm writing them, I swear it's like they're sitting around me, talking to me, and honestly telling me their stories. I haven't really ever written characters that were quite that strong or close to me. So it's really pretty neat. Anyway, I have the next chapter written so I'm hoping to post it later tonight, after I've edited it a bit. Hope you're enjoying the story so far :) **


	8. Chapter 8

After hours of movie-watching and far too many pizza slices eaten, Summer, Maryse, and I finally decided to settle down into our sleeping bags and begin the ritual secret-telling.

Our sleeping bags were set up in an almost-circle, so that our heads were all in one spot, making talking much easier. After so many years of sleepovers, we had the whole thing down pat.

"So who wants to go first?" Maryse asked, grinning deviously. She was lying on her stomach, legs crossed in the air, with her hands under her chin to support her head. This was her typical position. We liked to joke that she had never learned how to hold up her head properly because she constantly had her palm underneath her chin to keep her head up.

"I say I go last," Summer stated, examining her hotpink fingernails. "I have some really good stuff to spill this time."

"Fine, then. I'll go first." I resituated myself so that I was sitting up with my legs crossed, Indian-style. I knew that I didn't really have much to tell, so for the first time- probably ever- I lied to my best friends. It wasn't a big lie, really, but I needed something to say, and the only real secret I had was the wolf-thing which I refused to tell them just yet.

"The other night when Brady, Collin, and I went out for dinner on my birthday," I began, trying to formulate some sort of believable story. "There was this adorable waiter that I kept making eye contact with. Unfortunately, he wasn't our waiter, but he was serving the table next to us, so I kept glancing over at him, and each time he saw me looking, he'd smile."

I had gotten Summer and Maryse's attention, which was good. I just needed to keep them going.

"So when we were walking out of the restaurant, he caught up with us and pulled me aside real quick. He said his name was Jason, and he wanted to my phone number because he thought I was cute." At this point in my story, I gave my friends a small smile. "But I told him that I didn't give my phone number out to just any guy, and so he pulled a pen out of his waiter apron and grabbed my hand, writing his number down. It was so sweet," I sighed, totally imagining my imaginary moment in my head. My friends were both grinning, wondering what was going to happen next. "But you know, stupid me, I was so wrapped up in the whole cute memory of it that I washed my hand without writing down his number somewhere else!" I frowned in frustration with myself.

"Oh my gosh, Catie! That's crazy," Summer sputtered. "I can't believe you washed his number off!"

Maryse shook her head. "C, next time we go to that restaurant, we are _so _asking for him as a waiter to set things right. You need his number! What if he's like your soulmate or something? And you just messed up fate by washing your hand. God, Catie. If you never get his number, you could be messing up your entire future!"

Summer rolled her eyes at Maryse. Summer didn't believe in fate. But Maryse was a hard-core believer in it. "I know. It was so stupid of me. I was so incredibly angry at myself."

"You really do need to get his number, C. Next time you go to that restaurant, we're coming with you and we are going to hunt down that waiter," Summer said, a determined grin on her face.

I nodded vigorously, knowing full well they'd never "hunt down that waiter". "So, Maryse? Your turn."

"Alright, " she smiled widely. "Well, I have some gossip for you, before I tell you my super story."

"Okay, go on," Summer said, fully attentive now.

"Well, first of all, you know how Jacob always spends his time at the Cullens with that Nessie girl?" Summer and I nodded. It was no secret that Jacob hardly ever left the Cullens' and that Nessie was always by his side. Of course, I knew the reason for this was that Jacob had imprinted on her, but my friends didn't know anything about that, so I played dumb.

"Well, apparently, he and Nessie are like _betrothed_. Isn't that weird? Because she's so much younger than he is. I thought that she was only a few years old, and that he was just her babysitter, but when I saw her the other day, she looked like she was our age. It was really freaky, because I _know _she shouldn't be as old as us," Maryse shook her head. "It's just really odd."

"Yeah, that is weird. I thought she was like a toddler or kindergarten age. And what do you mean by betrothed? Did Billy and the Cullens set them up or something? Or are they just really serious all of sudden?" Summer asked, her curiosity piqued.

"I don't know. I can't see Billy setting Jacob up. Billy's just so laid back about things. I mean, for crying out loud, he let Rebecca get married at like 19 to some guy she'd known for only a few weeks. But I don't really understand Jacob's interest in Renesmee. I mean, I know she's pretty and all, but she's really spoiled."

"I don't know. The whole thing is just weird," I said in an effort to sound normal and like I didn't know anymore than they did.

"Oh, and I also have some other news," Maryse said. "Rachelle is pregnant."

I gasped and Summer's jaw dropped open. Rachelle was Maryse's older sister. She was 17, and although she often got into many disputes with their mother, Rachelle had always seemed the picture of perfection.

"Are you serious?" I exclaimed, and Maryse nodded.

"Yeah, my parents aren't happy at all. I mean, they aren't going to kick her out or disown her or anything, but they want her to give the baby up for adoption. Can you believe it? Like, my sister. Straight-A student, cheerleader. It's shocking, and honestly, a little repulsive. Just to think that she and Robby were _that_ serious… I thought she didn't even really like him that much," Maryse shuddered. "I don't know. It's just gonna be weird at home now, you know? I just don't know how to act around her anymore, and my parents have gone all strict. They don't want me to go anywhere with boys anymore, as if I'm going to go and get myself pregnant," she groaned. "As if I'd be that stupid. Really, though, and you guys know this, they don't have to worry about me being like that with a guy for a long time. I mean, for crying out loud, I've never even kissed a guy!"

Summer and I just let Maryse rant for a little while. We both knew she'd never really been with a boy. She was our sweet, innocent friend. Summer and I had talked about it before and we decided that boys were just kind of intimidated by Maryse. She could be really quiet around people besides us, and when she would talk, it was to talk about some new theory or crazy dream she'd had, or to discuss something serious. Maryse knew how to have fun, but she was never really silly or funny, in a crazy way that a lot of boys our age liked. But because of that, boys didn't ever really want to be close to her. Summer and I knew though that in a few years, once we were in college, the guys there would probably love her. But for now, she was just our "free bird."

After Maryse had gotten her anger out over her sister's unplanned pregnancy and her parents' new rules, she was quiet for a moment. "Sorry, guys. I just needed to get all that out. I do have some rather good news, that I can share now."

"Okay, let's hear it," Summer grinned, giving our friend a little bit of support.

"Well, I was at the beach earlier today, just walking up and down, you know, like I always do. And I decided to climb the rocks and find a good spot to sit and just read or something. But the rocks were especially slippery today, and as I was climbing, my hand slipped and I started to fall. I was really, _really_ scared that I would end up breaking a bone or something, but just as I was getting closer to the ground, someone caught me. And it wasn't just _any_ someone. It was this guy, probably about 18 or so, and he was gorgeous, in an old-fashioned sort of way," Maryse smiled slightly. "He was exactly the type of guy that I like, you know? It was kinda bizarre. Once he caught me, he put me down. I told him thanks for saving me, and he grinned and told me that it was no problem, that he didn't want a pretty girl like me to hurt myself by falling," she blushed, and brushed her bangs from her face. "And so then, I asked him what his name was, and all he said was his name was Landon. And then, God you're going to think I'm crazy, but he like literally disappeared. It was beyond weird. He was there, smiling at me one moment, and the next, he took off running and was gone. And oh, he was so good-looking. I searched for him, for awhile, because I really wanted to talk to him some more, but I couldn't find him anywhere. It was crazy. But it got me thinking."

"You didn't even get his whole name?!" Summer cried, throwing her hands up in the air. "Oh my god, you and Catie both are hopeless!"Summer was no doubt the most dramatic one in our group.

"Wow, that's kind of cool though. It's like something out of a book."

"Yeah, it really was. Like something out of a fantasy novel or something. I don't know. I keep coming up with theories and whatnot, but I kind of don't ever want to know why he saved me or who he was. Makes it more dreamy that way," she sighed happily, and I had to stifle a giggle. Maryse and her crazy romantic antics…

"So, now that you two are finished, I have some stories…" Summer grinned wickedly.

"Okay, let's hear 'em then," Maryse said.

"Well, first of all, you know how Brady and I broke up last weekend?" Maryse and I nodded simultaneously. "Yeah, on Friday night, we were at my house, just watching movies and doing the normal sort of things we always did…" Summer trailed off suggestively, a gleam in her eye, "when we started to making out, like _really _making out."

Oh God, I wasn't sure if I could handle this…

"One thing sort of just led to another, and the next thing we knew we were, you know, almost about to do _it_." Maryse, in all her naïveté, gasped, and I clasped my hands together, digging my nails into my palms, willing myself not to lose control.

"I wasn't scared, at all. I was ready, finally. I was glad Brady had finally gotten my hints," Summer continued, and I could feel my temper rising, my body shaking. Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap.

"So there we were, about to…" Summer thought for a moment, trying to choose her words carefully, "completely ravish each other when…."

This was when I lost it. Tumultuously shaking, I bolted for the door, leaving my two best friends confused in my wake. When I got outside, the shaking and my irrational anger completely took hold of me, making me phase before I'd even time to catch my breath.

Just as fur was erupting from my skin, my clothes were ripping into millions of shreds, my entire normal being transforming into that of a beast, Maryse and Summer came storming out of the shed, no doubt to see what the hell was up with me.

"Oh my God," Maryse whispered, whereas Summer let out a string of unlady-like curses.

In my wolf-form, I couldn't speak to them, so I simply closed my eyes and bowed my large head.

"Catie, is that… is that really you?" Maryse murmured, bravely taking a step closer. I nodded my wolf-head, and she let out a small gasp. She touched her small hand to my shoulder, before sort of shuddering away.

Summer just stood where she was, a few feet away, staring at me, terror in her brown eyes.

"Well, Catie," Maryse said, leveling her voice, and looking at me straight in the eyes. I was amazed that she wasn't completely flinching away from me. "You have some serious explaining to do, my dear."


	9. Chapter 9

"Well, basically, I'm a wolf shape-shifter," I whispered, once I'd phased back. I sat, somewhat crouched before my two best friends, tears freezing as they rolled down my cheeks. It was well after midnight, below freezing, and beginning to snow. And I was naked. Not at all a good combination. "I'll explain everything, but can I just get dressed first?" Maryse and Summer nodded simultaneously, still entranced by my transformation from human to wolf and back to human. Summer hurried into the shed and came out with her pink fuzzy bathrobe and a pair of matching slippers.

Handing me her robe and slippers, she attempted a weak smile. "See? I'm always trying to tell you guys, but it really comes in handy sometimes to over-pack." Maryse and I laughed anxiously, as I slid into the robe and slippers.

"I'll be right back, okay? I'm just gonna get new pajamas on and I'll get you guys some coffee. The explanation might take awhile," I told them, before running to the back door of my house. I crept through the halls and up the stairs to my bedroom, hoping to avoid waking my mom. Collin was on patrol on Monday nights, so I didn't have to worry about waking him up.

I reached my room and carefully pushed open the door. I turned on the overhead light, brightening the room. Geez, was it a mess. I needed to clean up, I realized, as I tripped over a pile of schoolbooks and loose papers. I'd have to do that tomorrow. I quickly and silently pulled on some clothes before going back downstairs to start a pot of coffee.

I made the coffee and added plenty of sugar and milk to it. The three of us all liked our coffee the same way: more sugar than coffee. After grabbing three sage-green mugs and the thermos, I rushed back to the shed to meet my friends, who were probably impatiently awaiting answers.

I pushed the door open with my elbow and slipped inside the shed. Summer was sitting against the back wall of the shed, anxiously checking her phone. She looked up when I came in and threw her phone onto her overnight bag. "Alright, C. We need to know what's going on."

Maryse was lying on her stomach, feet in the air, one hand under her chin- as usual- and the other nervously twisting a lock of her hair. Her eyes were wide, and were darting from me to Summer and back down again, like wild gray-green birds caged within her dark lashes.

"Well, the story starts two weeks ago, on my birthday," I said, my voice sounding a bit shaky as I handed Summer and Maryse their cups of coffee. I was really nervous as to how they would handle this new information. They hadn't run away screaming yet- which was a good sign- but who knew what they would do once they had their answers? I wasn't so sure I wanted to know.

"You know how I got sick all of a sudden?" They nodded. "It was one of the scariest moments of my life. I just felt all wrong in my own skin, like I was suddenly being turned inside out. Collin hurried me home, and not ten minutes after I was home, I began to phase. Shaking overtook me, and next thing I knew I was this huge beast of white fur. My mom started to cry and Collin just shook his head sadly. It was awful. The worst part were the voices in my head."

"Voices in your head?" Maryse asked, alarm in her voice.

"Yeah. You see, I'm not the only 'werewolf'. There are more of us. And we can talk to each other through our minds when we're in our wolf-forms. And Leah Clearwater and I, we're the only girl wolves. We don't know why that is, but for whatever reason, only two girls have had the dominant gene to turn into wolves. It's all because of our ancestors. You guys know the legends, right?"

Summer murmured as soft yes, and I continued on, "There aren't werewolves every generation, of course. We only crop up when the enemy is living nearby. The enemy is the vampire. Yes, Maryse, vampires are real," I said in response to her quizzical expression. Her face lit up in delight.

"You can't be serious, C. All those mythical creatures are real? And you're one of them? It's just so unbelievable. But, truly fantastic," Maryse sighed, happily. She was lost in one of her daydreams. I should've known she'd think it was cool that I was part of the 'mythical creature' population. It was just like something out one of her fantasy books she was always reading.

"Fantastic isn't exactly how I'd describe it, but to each his own, I guess," I smiled tentatively. "Getting back to the story, a lot of the Quileute boys we know are werewolves. Sam Uley, Jacob Black, Seth Clearwater, Collin, Brady…"

"Brady's a werewolf?!" Summer called out in alarm.

"Yeah, he is. He's actually my patrol partner. He's been really helpful with the transition," I told her, trying to calm her down a bit. "Anyway, phasing is really difficult to control in the beginning. I've only been an active shape-shifter for two weeks now, so I still have a lot of trouble controlling it. Usually anger or extreme sadness triggers it. Jealousy, too. After awhile, it gets easier, or so Sam has told me."

Suddenly, an expression of revelation crossed Summer's face. It was obvious a "light-bulb" had gone off, and she was suddenly putting something together. She grinned wickedly. "So wait, did your anger over me almost doing it cause you to phase? Or was it jealousy over whom I was about to do it with?"

I stared at her, not fully understanding. Then the realization crept over me. Summer could tell I had a crush on Brady. "Alright, I'll fess up. I like Brady. A lot. But now that he's been _with _you, I don't really know how I feel about it…."

Summer smiled, "I knew you liked him. I just knew it. And anyway, we didn't actually _do it. _We almost did. But then, Brady got all weird, saying stuff like he didn't really care to do it with me. He kept muttering about how he'd rather wait for his imprint to do it with, which was weird because I had no idea what he meant. I decided I didn't really like him much at all anymore, anyway. So I dumped him."

Summer's words made me feel incredibly relieved. It was still going to be a bit weird and awkward, but Summer didn't mind that I liked Brady and the fact that they hadn't "gone all the way" alleviated some of the awkwardness.

"Do you know what he meant by imprint, C?" Summer asked me.

"Yeah, an imprint is sort of like a shape-shifter's soulmate. It's this whole love at first sight sort of thing. Maryse, you'd probably love it. Me on the other hand, not so much. I just think it's kind of silly. But apparently, it's like real true love. Sam imprinted on Emily, Jacob imprinted on Nessie- which explains their weird behavior." I decided to leave out the fact that Nessie was half-vampire. Less information about the vamps was probably for the best.

"Wow, that would be kind of neat," Maryse smiled. "Did you imprint on anyone?"

I shook my head. "No, and I don't want to. I'm much happier doing things the normal human way. I think I'd feel sort of cheated out of different experiences if I imprinted. I'd be stuck with that one guy for life."

"I guess that's true. So are you and Brady going to start going out or anything?"

I shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine. I like him a lot. More than I think I've really ever like any other guy. But he has this thing where he likes to call me "Little Sis" and I guess that's just his way of making things clear that that's all I'll ever be to him." I sighed. Love was a tricky business. Perhaps imprinting wasn't so terrible after all.

Summer yawned loudly, stretching her arms high up over her head. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted. And I think we've had enough secret-spilling and surprises for one night, don't you think?"

I laughed quietly. "Yeah, I suppose you're right, S."

I turned out the light, and we all slipped into our sleeping bags. "Goodnight," I whispered softly.

Both of my best friends quietly whispered back, "Goodnight."

**A/N: I've been thinking about doing two spin-off stories, one for Maryse and one for Summer. I'm not sure yet, though. What do you guys think? Would you read Maryse and Summer's stories? **

**And I want to say thank you for all of you who have reviewed! Your feedback makes me day :)  
**


	10. Chapter 10

_ "I love you, Catie Westwood," Brady whispers as his thumb strokes my cheek and his dark eyes bore into mine. The way he looks at me almost makes me squirm, it's so intense. But I stand still, confident, smiling lightly with my eyes as I say the unspeakable words I've waited for so long to tell him._

_ "I love you too, Brady," I murmur quietly and kiss him boldly, wrapping my long arms around him and running my fingers through his shaggy black hair, making him officially mine. And that's when we break apart and suddenly our sweet moment turns weird as Brady starts singing_ U + Ur Hand _in Pink's voice._

I startled awake, slamming my hand angrily on my alarm clock off button, aggravated that it had to break up my beautiful, peaceful dream of Brady. I'd had that same dream every night since the revelation sleepover, and it always got cut short by one thing or another.

Today was the day before Thanksgiving, and my mother had asked Collin and me to wake up early in order to do some last minute shopping. This year, we were hosting Thanksgiving at our house, and my mother's family was all going to be at our house. Granted, my mother's family wasn't very large- it consisted of my grandparents, my aunt and uncle, and my other uncle and his son. But my mother was still a nervous wreck that nothing would go right, and she wanted everything to be absolutely perfect.

I slid out of bed, the exact thing I didn't want to do, and headed over to the mirror to see what I had to work with this morning. My hair was an absolute mess, all over the place and knotted. Ever since I'd become a shape-shifter, I'd had a near impossible time taming it. It used to be beautiful, a shimmery black curtain that hung all the way down my back and below my waist. But now, I always seemed to have twigs or leaves stuck in it after phasing and knots that not even Summer- an aspiring hairdresser and untangler extraordinaire- could get out. The boys all told me I should get it cut, that it would make things easier. But I'd spent a good portion of my life growing my hair out and taking care of it to make it beautiful. Cutting it off would be like losing a part of myself.

So long and knotty it stayed. I ran a brush through my bangs and pulled the rest of it into a messy bun. I pulled on some jeans and a pretty purple top and my favorite turquoise scarf and headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face and put on some make-up in an attempt to make myself look somewhat awake and not at all disappointed by the abrupt and untimely ending of that dream.

* * *

"Ready to go?" Collin asked, awaking me from my daze as I ate my breakfast bar and drank my coffee.

"Um, yeah," I said, eating the last bite and taking one last sip of my coffee. I stood up and walked over to grab my coat and shrugged it on, watching my brother as I did so. He always exuded a sort of calm coolness, a collected confidence. He didn't try to either, it was just who he was. I had always wished I could be like him in that respect, that instead of fumbling around and chattering to fill the silence, I could be okay with myself and okay with the world and okay with everyone around me. But I worried too much and talked too much and couldn't ever reach Collin's quiet self-confidence as much as I wanted to.

I guess I must have been staring at Collin and not even really realizing it because he gave me a funny look as he pulled his keys out of his worn brown leather jacket and told me to hurry up. I grinned at him and challenged him to a race to his car. "You're on," he smiled a little boy's impish smirk.

Like little children, we pushed each other in an effort to reach the front door first. I pulled the door open recklessly, letting it swing open fast and wide. Collin hurried out behind me, taking care to slam the door behind us. Just as I was about to reach his truck, he jumped on my back, tackling me to the ground. We both collapsed on the grass, laughing too hard to breathe. It'd been a long time since we'd played like that. Not for years. But it was so fun. I felt like I was five years old again as we lay gasping for air on the ground, wide grins splayed across our faces. It was just like when we were little kids, our mouths red or purple or green from popsicles, our knees skinned, and our laughs deep and happy.

We lay there for a moment, two teenager siblings caught up in memories of the days of old. And then my brother hopped up and offered me his hand to help me up. I took it and stood up too. "Don't forget: we still have a race to finish," I teased, before running at near-lightning speed to the passenger side of the truck. I flung open the door and slipped in my seat before Collin had even gotten to his door. I laughed wildly in triumph.

When Collin finally got into the car and began to drive, I said, "So I won. You owe me a smoothie."

"Since when?" he asked, turning his head to look at me, a careful smile forming on his face.

"Since I decided three second ago."

"Alright, fine. As long as you don't mind changing it from smoothies to ice cream," he said, his voice resigned but cheerful. I had a feeling he would've suggested ice cream whether I had brought it up or not.

"Okay, fine. But I choose the place."

"Where do you want to go?"

"_Wickedly Sweet _in the mall. It's the best ice cream place in all of Port Angeles, you know."

"Yes, I know," he grinned. "And we were going to the mall anyway so I guess that's fine."

"We were?" This threw me off a bit. I knew we were going to a specialty food market in Port Angeles. But I didn't realize we were going to the mall too.

"Yeah, we have to buy Christmas presents for Mom's family, remember?" And I did remember, now. Every year instead of having a Christmas gathering with the family, we just did it all at Thanksgiving, so that Christmas could be freed up for the other side of the family or for friends.

Once we got to the mall, I headed straight to _Wickedly Sweet _to wait in the ridiculously long line while Collin ran off to the cell phone store to buy a new car charger.

As I was standing in line, I smelt something really weird. It was a really strong smell and sweet, but to the point of being too sweet, like an overpowering mix of cotton candy and maple syrup and dark chocolate with a strong men's cologne mixed in. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I could feel myself tensing, like an animal would, if threatened. I spun around quickly, to see where exactly the smell was coming from. And I hit a wall.

"Ow," I muttered, taking a step back. How did I not know a wall was there? But instead of a wall, there was a man there, not much older than me or Collin, but devastatingly gorgeous. And pale with strange gold eyes. And the smell was coming from him.

I wrinkled my nose, and he smiled at me. "I'm Edward Cullen," he said, running his fingers through his bronze hair. "You must be Catie Westwood." I nodded slightly, filled with an urge to run. Here was a vampire standing before me. And not just a vampire. A vampire that could read my mind.

He laughed. "I'm sorry for startling you. I know the smell is overwhelming at first, but you'll get used to it." He was so beautiful, like an ancient Greek statue of Apollo. But he was dangerous, and I didn't trust him.

"I thought you didn't eat," I said, for it was the only coherent thing my mind could come up with as I stared at him.

He laughed again, a quiet musical laugh that made me shiver. "I don't. But you've heard about Nessie, right? She loves ice cream. It's the only normal food she'll eat." He jerked his head over in the direction of two girls sitting at a table for three across the food court. The dark-haired one looked up and waved at me, a friendly smile on her lovely face. And the other one, a slightly younger girl with the same bronze colored ringlets as Edward, gave me a small half smile as though she were shy, or stuck-up. I figured that one was Nessie.

"So why are you waiting in line to get it for her?"

Edward smiled at me, not at all unkindly. "Because I'm her father and I'm far too indulgent," he chuckled. I nodded and smiled at him, as though I understood even though I really didn't. "The line's moving," he said, pointing front of me. I turned back around and scurried towards the cashier.

"One chocolate chip mint cone and one chocolate/vanilla swirl cone, please," I recited as the cashier rang that up and went to make the ice cream cones.

Upon the cashier's return, he handed me both ice creams, and I was glad to see Collin coming towards me, cell phone store bag in hand. I felt a lot safer around Edward and the others with him around. I handed him his chocolate/vanilla swirl ice cream, and he took a sloppy bite before seeing Edward. Edward had been joined by the dark-haired girl, whom I assumed was Bella, his wife, and Nessie.

"Edward, Bella, Nessie, it's been awhile," Collin said cordially, though his eyes were guarded.

"Yes, it has, hasn't it? We had the pleasure of meeting Catie just now; you two need to come by and see us sometime," Bella smiled widely, her beauty radiating all around her, making me feel incredibly awkward and insignificant and ugly.

Collin nodded, "We will at some point, once things slow down a bit." He smiled once more and I did too.

"Well it was nice to meet you guys," I told them, trying to sound as confident as possible.

"Same to you," Renesmee said sincerely, her voice as charming as her face. Collin and I waved at them before turning around and walking towards the nearest department store.

"They are really nice, you know. For vampires, at least," Collin said, once he was sure we were out of their earshot.

"I know. They seem like they are. But they still make me uneasy."

Collin looked at me for a moment before looking again in the direction we were headed. "Me too," he admitted, grabbing my hand in an overprotective, brotherly way as we walked together into the department store.

* * *

**Author's note: So this chapter took awhile to write. I've been having trouble writing lately- and not just this, I'm have a hard time writing everything- and I've been busy so I'm sorry that it's been like three weeks or more since I last updated. I hope this chapter made it up to you guys for me being such a bad updater! And I promise the next chapter (and maybe the chapter after that) will be pure Brady/Catie fluff (and some importance stuff, too :)), coming soon. Review? **


	11. Chapter 11

The day after Thanksgiving, the infamous Black Friday, instead of going shopping at a completely unreasonable time in the early morning like every other female in America, I stayed home with my brother and had a _Star Wars_ movie marathon. Geeky? Maybe. But totally worth it.

_Especially_ when the doorbell rang at 10 AM and I saw Brady's SUV in the driveway.

"I'll get it," I told Collin, passing the popcorn bowl to over to him. Grinning at the unexpectedness of Brady's arrival, I skipped towards the door.

After flinging open the front door, a little _too_ enthusiastically, I saw Brady standing on our porch, a playful smile on his lips. "Hey." I smiled at him and gave him a hug. "How's it going, partner?"

He laughed. "It's going fine. What are you and Collin up to today?"

"_Star Wars_ movie marathon. Care to join?" I asked, knowing full well that he'd agree.

"Hell yes," Brady said, pumping his fist into the air and walking through the door. He was such a goof ball, but that only endeared him to me even more. "Which episode are you on?"

"Episode two: _Attack of the Clones_," I answered, leading him to the game room in the back of our house where Collin was waiting.

"Sweet. That's my favorite one," Brady grinned again, his eyes sparkling. Brady had such a devilish smile all the time as if he was always thinking something mischievous.

"Well, let's get to it then," I teased, and we both ran to the game room.

"Hey," Collin called, giving a Brady a high five. "What're you doing here?"

Brady shrugged. "I was bored. All the girls I know are out shopping today, and it seems like all the guys are either on patrol or with family, so I figured I'd come and see my two favorite people."

"Oh, Brady, you're going to make me blush," Collin joked and rolled his eyes. "Anyway, it's good that you're here. I'm starting to get sick of Catie's comments about how cute Anakin and Padme are together," he grinned.

"What? You have to admit they're such an adorable couple. They were friends when they were kids but then they were separated for awhile because of whom they were and what was going on around them. But now they've been thrown back together again and are having this secret relationship because their love is forbidden. It's just so cute," I defended and realized with a start that I sounded like Maryse, which made me want to laugh.

"I don't think you actually want to watch this movie because of their 'cute relationship,'" Brady countered, imitating the tone of my voice. "I think you just like looking at Anakin."

"Alright, fine, you got me. But a girl has to get something out of living in a guys' world, don't you think?"

As Brady was about to respond, Collin stood up and grabbed the popcorn bowl next to my leg. "While you two argue about Catie's reasons for liking _Star Wars, _I'm going to get some more popcorn." He rolled his eyes again and as he walked out of the room and down the hall, I could hear the unpopped kernels rattling in the empty bowl.

"So.." Brady said somewhat awkwardly, not sure if he should pick up our banter where Collin broke it off or just let it go.

"So," I responded, giving him a small smile. His hair had gotten longer in the last week or so, I noticed, as he blew it out of his eyes. He sat on the floor and leaned up against the couch. I sat next to him, and he wrinkled his nose.

"What? Do I smell bad or something?" I asked in response to his odd face.

"Well, you kinda smell like bloodsuckers."

"I do? I ran into them at the mall two days ago ,and since then I've taken two showers _and_ I'm wearing completely different clean clothes. I didn't think it was possible for me to still smell like them."

Brady shrugged. "The smell takes forever to go away, stupid leeches. So who did you run into?"

"Edward, Bella, and Renesmee."

Brady paled suddenly. "Three of them? Were you alone?"

"No, Collin was with me," I said. He still had a weird worried look on his face. "What's the matter?"

"I just don't like the idea of you being around them. I mean, I guess I don't have to that much to worry about because you are a wolf and all. But you're still so inexperienced and you've only ever met vampires that once. It just scares me to think of how easily they could hurt you, if they wanted to."

I stared at Brady. I couldn't think of the last time I'd heard him say something so serious and thoughtful and _caring_. "Brady, I can take care of myself."

He laughed a short laugh. "Yeah, I know. But it still freaks me out. Can you promise me something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"If you run into them again, and you're by yourself or with Summer and Maryse, text me so I can be wherever you are, in case things go bad, okay?"

I snorted. "Brady, honestly. That seems a bit-"

"Extreme? Maybe, yeah. But vampires- even relatively good ones like the Cullens- can become evil in a matter of seconds. I've seen it happen. And I just… I couldn't- none of us could bare to have something bad happen to you, especially not if we could have prevented it."

I hadn't heard Brady trip on words or falter when he was talking to someone _ever. _It was starting to weird me out about. "What do you mean?"

"Catie," he said exasperatedly. "You're my best friend. I could hardly stand to lose you." My expression went from a hopeful one to a sad one. Would we only ever be best friends? That hardly seemed fair. He began to talk again after noticing my sudden sullen expression. "And you know what? Even more than you just being my best friend, I really kinda like you."

Even though that what I had wanted to hear, I wasn't at all expecting it. Suddenly, the butterflies started to flutter in my stomach, making me feel giddy and also a bit cautious. "Really? I guess that's good because I kinda like you too. A lot. "

Brady laughed nervously and tucked my loose bangs behind my ear. I had never seen him so uneasy and unconfident. "Well, now that we have those silly words out the way…" he grinned, and as his face leaned closer to mine, I saw his normal self returning, which made me relax a bit more as his lips softly brushed mine. I had been kissed by guys before, but this was different. This felt real and more exciting than anything else I'd experienced. Once he pulled his head back and grinned at me, all I could say was "Whoa."

He laughed again, and I would've done anything to keep him laughing, to keep him happy. I was about to lean in to kiss him again when I heard Collin's footsteps as he entered the game room. Brady and I straightened, giggling anxiously, as Collin plopped down on my right side, squishing me between himself and Brady.

"So what'd I miss?" he asked, picking up the remote and pointing it at the DVD player.

"Nothing," Brady and I said in unison as the movie came back on. Collin shrugged, not noticing anything as my insides turned to mush and my head started spinning, and I felt happier than I'd felt in a really long time.


	12. Chapter 12

I woke up to a knock at my door. Startled, I sat up quickly and looked at my door. "Yes?" I called, my voice still groggy from sleep. Collin pushed open the door and walked into my room slowly.

"Did you forget to set your alarm?" he asked, an amused smile on his face. I looked at him confused before remembering that today was Monday, the first day back to school after Thanksgiving break. I groaned, and Collin laughed before heading out the door, leaving me to get ready for school. I climbed out of bed and turned on the light. I was _so_ not ready to be going back to school.

I pulled on a simple purple long sleeved shirt and my favorite pair of skinny jeans before going to wash my face and put on make-up. I knew I was probably running a little late so I didn't waste much time doing my make-up. It wasn't like I really cared how people saw me at school anyway. As I pulled on a pair of black boots and my rain jacket, my stomach flipped. I was probably going to get to see Brady later today.

Brady and I had spent our entire patrol time on Saturday night talking about each other, and he had kissed me twice more (not that I was counting or anything...). But we hadn't told anyone about our sort-of relationship yet. Not even the pack knew because neither of us had been in wolf-form since Friday. I planned on telling Summer and Maryse at lunch, and I figured the rest of the pack would find out eventually. I wasn't in a hurry to tell them. I liked the way our relationship was secret; it almost seemed to make it more special.

Once I was finished getting ready, I grabbed a banana and a water bottle for breakfast and headed to Collin's truck, where he was waiting for me. I climbed in, and he put on the radio.

"So," Collin said, breaking the silence between us. It was weird for him to be talking; he was normally really quiet in the morning. "Is there something going on with you and Brady?" he asked, and I wasn't sure what to tell him. It wasn't like I had a problem telling him about us- he was my brother after all- but I didn't honestly know what was going on with me and Brady either. We were just kind of together and had yet to put a label on our relationship.

"Well," I said, choosing my words carefully. "Sort of, I guess. I mean, we aren't like officially together or anything. But we both like each other." One of us way more than the other, but Collin didn't need to know that. "We're just interested in trying a relationship out. Nothing too serious or anything." At least, not yet. "Why?"

"No real reason," Collin replied. "Brady had just mentioned liking you, and I told him if he wanted to, he could go out with you. But at the time, he wasn't sure if he'd pursue a relationship with you or not. And, you know," he looked over at me with a grin on his face, "I am your brother. So I should be informed about these things."

I snickered. "Oh really? You don't exactly share your relationship details with me, why should I share with you?" I teased.

"Because I'm your big brother. And at least I tell you if I'm dating someone."

I rolled my eyes. "True. But it's not like you're ever dating anyone."

Collin shrugged. "I just don't see the need to have a girlfriend all the time. Especially not if there is the possibility of imprinting on someone."

"Yeah, I suppose," I said. "So are you okay with me and Brady?"

He nodded. "Of course. As long as you're happy."

"I am," I told him, and it was the truth. I felt happier with Brady than I'd felt in awhile.

"Good," he grinned as we turned into the school parking lot, and he parked in his usual spot.

* * *

"Catie Lauren Westwood, you need to tell us _everything_!" Summer exclaimed when I met up with her and Maryse for lunch.

"I know, I know," I told her to appease her. "Let's get our lunch first, and then I'll tell all. Promise."

"Alright," Summer said as we grabbed lunch trays and stood in line. While we waited in the lunchline, Maryse told us a quick story about her cousins on Thanksgiving.

"I swear, my cousin Shelly is the most immature thing to ever walk this earth," she said exasperatedly. "I mean, it's common sense that you don't burst out singing _'I Kissed A Girl_' around old people, especially not your grandma."

Summer and I laughed. I envisioned Maryse's living room, her entire family sitting there, and her cousin Shelly- who was about as different from Maryse and Rachelle as you could get- bursting into full out Katy Perry _'I Kissed a Girl'_ mode. Maryse's grandmother would no doubt gasp and mutter something about today's undisciplined youth, and Maryse would just stand there, her face ablaze, not quite sure how to make her cousin behave and just shut up. It was an amusing image.

"Oh, Maryse," Summer said. "Live a little, okay? Shelly was just trying to have a good time. Though, I wouldn't say making your grandmother mad was the best idea, but hey, if it makes Shelly happy..."

I laughed again. Maryse's grandmother was this uptight little thing from the South. She didn't condone any sort of foolishness and was so conservative, it could make a person sick.

"It was just frustrating. I wish Shel would just grow up, sometimes. She's older than me, but she acts like she's five. It's ridiculous."

"Yeah," I said, ending our conversation about Maryse and her cousin. I was ready to tell my friends everything about Brady and me, and we were finally out of the cafeteria and headed to our bench outside where we ate lunch every day, no matter the weather.

"Okay, Catie. Spill," Summer demanded as soon as we sat down.

"Well, on Friday, Collin and I were having a Star Wars movie marathon, when Brady showed up," I began and continued on to tell them every detail that passed between Brady and me that day. "And then, well, he kissed me, and everything just felt so right. Until, of course, Collin walked back in the room. But then it was like we had this little secret between us that no one else knew."

"Aw," Summer cooed. "You two are so much better together than Brady and I were. We clashed worse than stripes and polka-dots."

Maryse rolled her eyes. "You and Brady were only together because you ran out of guys to be with and he was willing and available. Catie, you and Brady just click. You always have."

I nodded, glad to have their reassurance. "So then we had patrol together on Saturday night, and we just talked. About everything. Which we've done before, but this time it was different. It wasn't like we were just friends goofing off, but something more than that. I swear, I wanted to remember every word that came out of his mouth that night. It just all seemed monumental," I sighed, remembering the way we decided to stay in human form during patrol instead of phasing. The way we sat up against our tree, the rough bark scratching my arms and back every time I shifted, but I didn't mind because Brady was next to me. The way his arm felt around my shoulders and how his dark eyes focused on me right before he kissed me...

"Look at her. She's totally smitten with him. Catie and Brady...who would've thought," Summer grinned as she took a bite of her hamburger. "Anyway, I have some good gossip for you guys."

"Yippee," Maryse giggled. Summer always had the best gossip about what was going on around school and town. Her father was the principal of our school, and her mother was the editor in chief of the local newspaper, both of which gave her access to all sorts of information.

"Well, there's going to be two new kids here after Christmas. My daddy says they're from New York City. Awesome, right?" Summer said, her voice giddy with excitement.

"Boys? Girls?" Maryse asked her, both of us curious to hear more.

"They're brother and sister. Their mom is apparently a well-known news anchor over in New York, but their dad lives here, and he just gained custody of them or something, so they're coming to live here for awhile," Summer informed us. "And they're twins and they're both sophomores, like us. Which is uber-exciting."

"Who's their dad?" I asked Summer. I was pretty sure I knew just about everyone in town, and I couldn't think of any middle-aged men who had children living in New York.

Summer shrugged. "I don't know. My dad told me his name, but I didn't recognize it. It was like John something." She shrugged again. This was obviously not a detail she found important. "I forget. But I'm sure the guy has to be gorgeous. I'm pretty sure every guy from New York is."

That, I was sure, was false. Summer was just thinking of all the movie stars that played characters who lived in New York, but whatever. It looked like Summer was going to have a new beau soon, whether he liked it or not.

"Well, that's exciting. Once they get here, we'll have to invite them to hang out with us," Maryse said as she scarfed down a brownie.

"Yeah, we definitely will," I said. Even though I already had best friends and an almost boyfriend, I was excited to meet these new kids and get to know them. It was a rare occurrance that anyone new moved to town; I absolutely could not wait to meet them.

* * *

**A/N: So it's been quite awhile since I've been on fanfiction, but I think the break from it was good for me because now I'm all excited for this story again and filled with new ideas for the coming chapters! My goal is to post at least two more chapters in the next week, so more updates will definitely be coming soon. Hope you're enjoying it so far. :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: It's been close to three months, I think, since I last updated. This has mostly been due to the business of school and having some serious computer problems. But now, school is out and I have a brand-spankin-new computer, so expect lots of updates! If you have any story suggestions or anything, feel free to let me know! Reviews are always lovely too. :)**

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After the last bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, I pushed through the crowded hallways and headed over to my locker to put away some of my books and grab my coat. When I got over to my locker, Brady was leaning against it, waiting for me.

I grinned when I saw him, my entire being feeling lighter than air. "Hey," I told him.

"Hey," he smiled, moving out of the way so I could get to my locker. As I dialed the combination, I could feel his eyes on me. "So I've been thinking…"

"Yeah?" I asked, a giddy feeling filling me. I couldn't wait to hear what he had to say.

"Well, I've been thinking about how we're sort of a couple, but I haven't ever even taken you out on a date. So I was wondering… are you up for coffee?"

"Like, right now?"

"Yeah, like right now. We could head over to Starbucks or something, maybe hit up a movie. Whatcha think?" He looked so hopeful when he proposed this plan of his, that even if I hadn't wanted to go out with him, I probably would've agreed.

"That sounds fantastic. I just need to call Collin and tell him I won't be going home with him," I said, digging into my pocket for my phone.

"Oh, I already let him know I'd probably be taking you somewhere this afternoon, so you don't need to call him," Brady grinned, obviously proud of himself.

"Well, don't you just think of everything?" I laughed.

He shrugged, a goofy smile on his face. "Yeah, that's me. Always well-prepared."

I punched his arm playfully, which just made him laugh. He grabbed my hand, and I was surprised to realize how well my hand fit into his. We walked down the hallway and out to the parking lot where we found his car and headed off to the coffee shop.

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We grabbed one of those high circular tables by a window that overlooked the beach. We sat on the tall barstools, and while normal-sized people's legs would've dangled off of them, I noticed that Brady's wolf-boy legs just reached the ground and mine almost did.

"So what do you want?" Brady asked, as he went to order.

"Ummm, I'll just take an iced coffee and a blueberry scone," I told him.

"Two tall iced coffees and a blueberry scone," I could hear Brady tell the cashier. He paid for our food and came back to sit across from me.

"Here's your coffee and blueberry scone."

"Thanks," I said, taking them from him. "So you like iced coffee, too?"

Brady shrugged, "I don't know, never tried it. But you seem to have good taste so I figured I might as well try it."

"It's my favorite. But some people really don't like it- like Summer, for example. But then again, she only likes coffee when it's loaded with sugar and chocolate."

Brady laughed. "Yeah, she always did love her sweets."

I nodded and took a sip of my coffee. It tasted like heaven.

Brady and I just sort of sat in our seats for awhile, sipping our coffee and chatting about our day. After a short lull in conversation, Brady started talking about wolf-things. "So Sam wanted me to tell you that he scheduled us for patrol Thursday night because Jared's going with Kim to California to visit her sick grandma. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, of course, it is. Despite all of your bitching and complaining about it, I really don't find patrol to be all that bad," I told him, dipping my scone into my coffee.

"That's because you have me for a partner," he grinned, leaning across the table to kiss my forehead . I laughed.

"Oh, you aren't conceited at all…" I muttered under my breath, which made him chuckle.

After a few moments of giggling, Brady's expression turned serious- or at least, as serious as he ever got. "Have you talked to Leah since, you know," he said, and then whispered, "you phased?"

I shook my head. Leah used to babysit for me when I was younger and had always been really sweet, but in recent years, she had become really bitter and angsty and hard to be around, which had made me reluctant to call her. "She's not exactly the most pleasant person on this planet. I mean, I know she's like the only one who really understands what I'm going through, but I've been doing fine on my own. I've figured out how to cope."

Brady nodded. "Yeah. I still think you should call her. Well, actually, I don't really care either way. But Collin wanted me to talk to you about it, because he said you probably wouldn't listen to him. He wants you to talk to her. I think he's worried about you."

"Worried about me?" I snorted. I felt better than I had in ages, and most of that was due to becoming a wolf. Collin had no reason to be worried and had no reason to get Brady involved. "I'm perfectly fine, honest. Tell him that for me. But I will consider calling Leah. It might be nice to have someone who can sort of empathize with what I'm going through."

"Yeah, I mean, it couldn't hurt," he shrugged. As I slurped the last sip of my coffee, I realized that Brady hadn't had more than a sip of his.

"You don't like your coffee?"

"Nah, I guess cold coffee isn't really my thing. Oh well."

"Sorry," I said, for no real reason. It wasn't like I was in control of what he liked or didn't like.

"For what?" he asked, and I just shrugged my shoulders, having no answer to his question. "Wanna head back to the car?"

"Only if you don't bring me straight home. I'm not quite ready for our date to end just yet," I smiled at him.

"Me neither. Where should we go?"

"I don't know. Why don't we just drive around forever?" I laughed.

"Sounds good to me," Brady smiled, pulling me under his arm as we walked out of Starbucks and to his car, ready to drive until there was nothing left besides the two of us.


	14. Chapter 14

I fell asleep in Brady's car. We had been driving for miles and miles, and we talked a lot and turned up the radio. But eventually I just sort of zoned out and felt myself drift off to sleep. At first I dreamt only pleasant dreams- Brady and I at beach, Brady and I on Patrol. But then the dreams turned more sinister; bloodshed and war raged and screams echoed in my ears, Sam's voice strong and authoritative as we headed off to battle. I woke up startled to find myself still in Brady's car and sweating and breathing heavily.

Brady had parked the car in a gas station parking lot and was talking on the phone with someone in hushed tones.

"We'll be there as soon we can. Catie and I aren't that far from their house- I'll just drive us over there. See you then." Brady ended the call and looked at me, surprised to find me awake. "Hey, sleepy head," he smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. He looked tense and worried about something. "That was Sam on the phone. He said we have to get to the Cullens' ASAP."

"The Cullens? Why?" Now I understood the reason he looked so anxious and scared. Just thinking about being around the Cullens made my stomach flip.

Brady shrugged. "One of them- Alice, I think?- can see the future, and earlier today she had a vision that somehow involved us and- and a war. They want to discuss it with us."

I nodded and let us lapse back in to silence so I could think. A war? Including us? We were a peaceful people, despite our shape-shifting ways. We would only go to war if provoked or threatened. Which must mean that someone was coming after us, ready to strike.. And if the Cullens were worried about us going to war, it could only be because our enemy wasn't just a group of humans. No, if the Cullens were worried about it, it had to be because our enemy was supernatural and a threat to all our lives.

This thought made me want to throw up.

On our way to the Cullens, my mind kept exploring all these horrific possibilities of what war would mean for our pack and our tribe, for my family and friends.. It terrified the crap out of scared me shitless.

After a long stretch of highway, Brady turned down a long, dusty road. On every side were towering trees, and the road was so windy it was hard to see what would come after every turn. Eventually, though, we made it to a clearing in which one of the largest and most magnificent houses I'd ever seen sat proudly.

It was very old and elegant, the walls painted a crisp white and the door painted a soft brown. It had to have been about three stories high with a balcony on the highest floor. Vines crawled up the right side of the house, but instead of making it looked uncared for or abandoned, the vines added to the grace of the house. On the porch was a bench swing, and a pretty girl of about thirteen or fourteen was swinging on it and staring at us. I recognized her as Nessie, Bella and Edward's daughter.

Brady parked and we both got out of the car. He grabbed my hand as we walked up the rest of the gravel driveway and up the porch steps to the front door. Nessie stood up from her watchful perch on the swing and glided towards us.

"I guess you two must be Catie and Brady?" she asked, her voice sugar sweet.

"Yeah, that's us."

"I'm Renesmee. Everyone else is already in the library, and they told me to escort you guys over there," she said, opening the large front door for us. We stepped inside a large foyer with a mirror on the right wall and a painting of nine vampires- who I guessed was the whole Cullen clan- on the left.

Renesmee led us through the main living area and up one flight of stairs to a room to the right of the stair landing. "That's the library, there. You can just go on in."

Brady moved to open the door, but I stopped and turned toward Renesmee. "Aren't you coming in with us?"

"Nope," she frowned. "Apparently, I'm not _old _enough or _mature _enough to handle all that you guys are going to be talking about so I'm not allowed in." Renesmee crossed her thin arms across her chest and rolled her brown eyes.

I felt bad for the little hybrid vampire girl being excluded from the meeting. Maturity-wise, she wasn't that much younger than me, and I knew how much it sucked to be left out of stuff like this and be told you were too young to handle "grown-up" stuff. So I leaned towards her ear and whispered, "I bet if you listen to one of the vents directly above this room, you'll be able to hear every word." I winked at her as Brady pulled me to the door.

"Thanks!" she grinned. "I'll have to try that." She waved as she skipped off down the hall.

Brady opened the door to the library and pulled me inside. smiled. The library was massive with bookshelves filled from floor to ceiling, which had to have been about 30 feet high. Every corner was stacked with books of every kind from worn, leather-bound classics to paperback romances. The center of the floor was covered by an ornate blue and gold oriental rug. The rest of our pack, along with the Cullens, was sitting on beanbag chairs and pillows in the middle of the room. The place- as magnificent as it was- stunk to high heavens of vampire. It made my entire body shudder.

Sam and one of the vampires- a tall, stately blond male- sat in desk chairs at the head of the group and everyone's eyes were on them. I figured the blond was Dr. Carlisle, the head of the coven.

Sam looked up from the discussion and welcomed us in. "Catie, Brady, why don't you have a seat somewhere? We have some very urgent things to discuss."

Brady and I automatically did as our alpha told us, choosing a spot in between Paul and one of the Cullens- a very tall and muscular boy with dark shaggy hair. I felt tense, sitting in such proximity to the enemy, ready to strike at anytime if needed. I knew I had no reason to feel like that, like the Cullens were our enemy, but it was just basic instinct to be on edge with them. Despite their close alliance with the pack, I didn't trust them. And honestly, I don't think any of the boys- save Jacob and Seth- really did either.

The blond, important-looking Cullen introduced himself as Carlisle, as I had suspected. "We've called this collaborative meeting because of something disturbing and urgent that has come up," he said. His voice was calm and reassuring, but there was a grave undertone to it that chilled me to the core. "As you know, our Alice can see things in the future." Carlisle gestured to a small, dark-haired vampire girl with large, knowing eyes. She gave us a frank nod, and Carlisle continued. "This morning, Alice saw a very large coven of vampires heading in our direction. We zoned in on them and found that they have a very malevolent purpose in mind. Their intention is to come to Washington, destroy the pack and our coven, and take over the state, most likely for their feeding grounds; however, we have not ascertained that as of yet.

"We learned as much information as we could, but there was some force of interference with Alice's visions. Most likely a hybrid is traveling with them, with the purpose of muddling Alice's reception. As we find out more information, we'll let you know. But as of right now," Carlisle sighed, his mouth a grim line. "it appears there will be a war of some sort. And due to the sheer magnitude and force of this coven, it won't be an easy one."

I felt so lost and confused as Carlisle spoke, like I was missing so much information. Brady squeezed my hand, trying to reassure me, but even that didn't help. I felt like I was ready to cry.

"How soon?" Embry voiced the question we were all wondering.

Little Alice spoke, with a soft, fairy voice. "A few weeks, maybe two or three months. They're planning this out to the very last detail," she shook her head sadly. "This won't be like the last battles we have fought. These vampires are out for destruction and won't leave until they've wreaked havoc amongst us. They have some clever elders choosing their moves very carefully, and using some form of interference so that I can't see details, only a very fuzzy big picture."

"And these aren't Newborns, like Victoria's army," Edward added, and everyone else, besides me, seemed to understand his meaning, though I continued to feel bewildered. "They have the same strength, or less, that we do, luckily; however, this means they also have the same cunning and clear thinking as us. If it does come to war, it's very likely many of us will not survive."

Bella erupted with a sobbing sound at Edward's words and clutched at her husband for support. He whispered quietly into her hair to calm her, and I felt a slight spark of envy. They looked so in sync, so _perfect _for each other when they were together like that. It made me wonder if Brady and I would ever be as close and soul-mate-like as Bella and Edward were or if we were some of the unlucky ones to never experience that sort of true love and ultimate friendship.

I turned my attention away from Bella and Edward and towards the large vamp that Brady was sitting beside. "Edward, way to be such a downer," he rolled his eyes playfully, instantly lightening the heavy atmosphere. "We can take 'em, no problem." He and the other blond male vampire chuckled together, and I couldn't help but smile a little bit. They both seemed very confident that this would all turn out okay.

"Do you think we should get the Denali coven involved? Would that be of any help?" A female vampire with light brown hair spoke up. The way she spoke and carried herself sort of reminded me of my mom- protective, fierce, but loving.

Carlisle considered a moment before responding. "I think the best plan of action would be to see how things progress. Right now, a major battle is several months away. If anything changes suddenly or if we gather more details, then we'll ask them for their assistance."

"So what do we do in the meantime?" Jared questioned, his voice hard and clear. "Train?"

"Yes, we'll train. We'll collect more details and come up with a plan of action. And then," Carlisle cleared his throat. "We wait."

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